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Jack Lawson's avatar

I have often wondered what was going through the minds of Romans from 400 to 480 AD... the time of the collapse of their country and the territories it occupied.

I have realized lately... that what was going through their mind, is what is now going through my mind and that of most Americans.

Jack Lawson

Associate Member, Sully H. deFontaine Special Forces Association Chapter 51, Las Vegas, Nevada

Author of “The Slaver’s Wheel”, “A Failure of Civility,” “And We Hide From The Devil,” “Civil Defense Manual” and “In Defense.”

“Whenever there is a jackboot stepping on a human face, there will be a well-heeled Western Liberal to explain that the face does, after all, enjoy free health care and 100% literacy” – John Derbyshire

From Jack Lawson… an American in 1RLI Support Commando and attached to Rhodesian “C Squadron” SAS Africa 1977-79

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The Redneck Ninja's avatar

T.L.,

Huge fan of your writing, new subscriber (just subscribed, annual), and I don't disagree with a single word you wrote. My take on your question, after nearly two decades (I'm 52 and became aware in 2006) of learning/ preparing/waiting for the collapse, can be summed up in four points:

1. We have grossly underestimated our enemy. For years, we have been presented with images of blue-haired, soy-boy, transgender Antifa and looting BLM as our adversaries. They are not, but the constant coverage of their hijinks has caused "our side" to focus on their infantile barbarism and many believed them to be the clumsy foe we had to defeat in order to achieve victory. Wrong. We are dealing with highly successful, highly motivated, and highly intelligent adversaries who have ruled the planet for generations. We don't know their names and we will never know their faces. Focus should always be local ,local, local.

2. We have completely misunderstood what "collapse" would look like. For years I was told that a stock market collapse, martial law, FEMA camps, etc., would herald the start of collapse. I now know that these are all trailing indicators that come at the absolute end of a takeover. We have been waiting for the head shot while they have been slowly bleeding us with a thousand cuts to the body. The elite have no plans to destroy the planet with nukes and hide in their bunkers. They will not give up their private jets, vast estates, and glorious mansions. Our future is The Hunger Games, not Red Dawn.

3. We have severely overestimated the resolve of many on "our side". Between 2012 and 2016, I traveled to prepper and "patriot" conventions all over the country. I'm probably being conservative when I say that 30% of the people I met had no interest whatsoever in restoring the nation to its former glory. They wanted to see shit burn in hopes of a second chance at righting the wrongs of a past riddled with bad choices. Their collapse fantasy consists of no more mortgage payments, no more car payments, no more child support payments, and a chance to see that successful couple down the street grovel at their feet for a can of chicken noodle soup. For many, collapse is about schadenfreude, not survival or rebuilding a constitutional republic. They will argue for days on the internet about 9mm vs .45, or AR vs AK but they will not fight and die for the cause we believe in.

4. There is no plan. We are experts at running around the house while it burns to the ground and screaming "the house is on fire!", we make epic memes about the fire, we share and like gaffes the fire made at a press conference, but we have failed to make any actionable plan to extinguish the fire because that's gonna hurt. I am as guilty as anyone. I have spent the last few years making sure my family is extremely well taken care of. Show me a workable plan and I am on board.

If I have overstepped the bounds here, I apologize in advance. Thank you again for you great writing.

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